Theatrical Tools in Service Design

On Camera

We've posted videos of our working methods before, but in German.

For those of you without German skills, here we are in English giving a (super-accelerated) sample at the Service Design Network Conference in Berlin this summer.

Beyond Roleplay - Theatrical Tools in Service Design from Snook on Vimeo.

Thanks to Snook for filming!

Playful design wins

Game-based approach to architectural design

Here's a fascinating report on a new design methodology thesis by Christopher Totten.

Totten used games as powerful tools in cooperative architechtural design projects. The games had two functions:

A simple, self-designed board game guided the design process in a Cabal-type system: "Three or four player/designers play cooperatively but each have their own piece on the board. Each of these players takes on a different design role .... rolling the die to move around the board and respond to the directions ... to make design changes, draw new cards, lose turns, or run playtests. "

At turns, the actual building design took place in Google SketchUp or Valve's Hammer Level Editor: "Using a game engine such as Hammer allowed players to explore their buildings while they were designing them; since it lacks a traditional "orbit" tool but allows the in-program camera to be moved through the model with game controls; as one would move through a game environment ... "

Mr T. reports three main benefits of this game-based approach:

1 The board game / Cabal system helped circumvent many of the social or group-dynamic problems normally encountered in cooperative work.

2 The video-game design testing encouraged a high degree of focus on the emotions and experience of the building user.

3 Playtesters also reported that their designs were different because they felt they could make more creative moves while in the play environment of the game. Their designs were more complex and stimulating than those produced with more traditional techniques.

So, fewer arguments, higher user-centricity, and more exciting designs... sounds good to me. This is a great example of successfully using the power of play in a complex business environment.

Adam

PS I particularly liked this report on one virtual house: "The playtesters conceived the house as a path of rooms that offered sporadic views to the landscape around the house, leading up to the ultimate reveal of the river on the large porch."

Now, that sounds just like the narrative structure of the next Hollywood blockbuster...

Play house pic by barnabywasson at flickr

Change the scenery and boost innovation

Move the meeting to the Holodeck...

Want a cheap and easy way to boost the effectivity of your creative sessions (and in fact any meeting)? Just change the scenery.

My collegue Markus and I felt like a change for our brainstorming session this week, so we headed across the street and into the park where the local town have provided this brilliant performance/meditation/party/picnic/being space.

A pen, a pad of Post-its, and our meeting room was ready. There were no chairs, so we kept thinking on our feet. We weren't alone - but chatting to other space-users kept the mood light and the ideas flowing fast. In the end, our latest plans for world domination benefited from the presence of a couple of bikers, a theology student, two old ladies, and a dog.

Changing your physical surroundings is once of the best ways to increase the output of creative sessions. So take your crew out of that dang meeting room and hit the cafés, museums, parks and rooftops. You'll see the benefits fast, I promise.

And perhaps your people might even look forward to the next meeting...

Pics by Adam's ancient Motorola phone

Never give in...

If you love what you do, somebody else will love it too...

Winston Churchill gave a famously short speech to schoolboys, where he said:

"Never give in. Never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense."

If you believe in what you do, and love doing it, he is right. Here's proof:


I love the way that the dancer directly appeals to the crowd at the start, but is ignored.

The more he just gets down to doing his thing, the more interesting he becomes. And he just never, never, never, never gives up - until his energy is finally irresistible.

Everyone can be a star - if you let them

Mark Hurst put me on to this terrific wedding video. It's great fun, but it can also teach us something...



Presumably nobody in this clip is a professional performer, but they all give amazing performances. Why?

* Because they are doing something that feels new.
* Because they are allowed to play around while doing it, which makes it fun.
* Because the only pressure on them to "get it right", is their desire to do a good job for their friends.

LOCKDOWN Projects are onto a winner here. They took an oversubscribed service (wedding videos) and shook it up with a great idea. Then they made the idea work by trusting average people to be stars.

What could your workplace learn from that?

PS I hope Brian and Eileen's marriage is as good a party as their wedding was, and I hope that LOCKDOWN get rich and famous rather fast.
I have a feeling they will.

What we do for freebies

How to make a splash in the blogwelt...

Canada's Biz-wiz-joke-bloke Andy Nulman is a master of surprise - it has been said* that he "owns" the term - and he's up to his (un)usual tricks again over at his excellent Pow! blog.

In my eyes, the best bit of his "200 free books" post is the last line - "Or could there be, perhaps, maybe, something up my sleeve?"

The ideal partner of surprise is anticipation.

I've emphasised before that it works at a deep psychological level. Put it like this: surpassing your audiences expectations is always great, but pumping those expectations to a higher level and then topping the elevated hopes is unbeatable.

The feeling of expectation gets the primeval juices churning (it's all about emotion, folks!), then the surpassed anticipation wows on an intellectual level too, as well as giving a story to tell.

So Andy, I'll take the bait and line up for a copy of your book. You've lost a sale - I'd have bought one anyway - but I'm keenest of all to find out how you're planning to Pow! me this time...

After all, it's not like the man who can do everything needs help with publicity. ;)

Adam

PS You have my address. :)

* By Andy, but why not? ;)
Picture and film made at that fun Kodak site, Andy image from Pow!.

Customer orientation - sometimes it is easy

You work it out

Q: Imagine you have a maternity hospital in Taiwan. Who will your main customers be?
A: Erm, maybe, perhaps ... young Taiwanese women?
Q: Very good. What is the most obvious, stereotypical thing that young Taiwanese women go crazy for? Hint: it has no mouth. *
A: Ah. Obviously that cat:


Q: OK, what would be a good decorative theme for your maternity clinic, if you can get the licence?

A: Erm... This?

The maternity hospital in Yuanlin has hit on a gold plated winner, I am sure. Not only have they got a clear and apparent USP (still amazingly rare in the medical world) and a powerful affinity market, they will be reaping outcome benefits from the psychological effects of branding their facility with a much loved and highly reassuring character. How scary can a nurse in a Hello Kitty apron be? (By the way: it's crucial that the logo is huge and not just a pocket emblem.)

This sort of thing would be easy for small medical practices to do - especially ones catering for the young. It needn't be an expensive licensed figure, just something that shows a bit if humour, understanding and humanity instead of those terrifying white coats. It's costume, folks, costume.

* I am privileged to know several young Taiwanese ladies, and the answer to this question is most apparent after about 20 seconds in their charming company.

Hello Kitty pic from Sanrio.
Thanks to BoingBoing for the heads up.

Managing a creative environment

Playstorming your customer experience

The best ideas to improve your customer experience are already floating around in your team's heads. To get them into to the real world with the minimum of digging, you need to foster a special kind of working environment.

In theater, we talk about the rehearsal room as a "safe space". It's a place where experiment and failure are explicitly allowed and welcomed. It is a place where distractions are held to a minimum, and where tools are kept simple to encourage flights of fantasy. And it's a place where the person in charge knows that their job is to help the cast do something that they (the director) cannot do.

It's a difficult task for many managers, because it feels like chaos and (oh horror!) play. Famously upside-down-guitarist Karl Wallinger describes a similar experience:

"(It's) simultaneously doing opposite things — you want to give the sessions control and direction while trying to do the opposite, to create an anarchic space where people can add their piece with as little affectation as possible. That's a fine line to tread, between too much authority and letting people go. It's like being a mini local government — making sure there's roads and bridges."

This kind of enabling, gentle, inspirational management is already important in fields that rely on fast, cheap, iterative innovation - like software development houses. And it is ideal for talking about your customer experience, playing around with it to generate valuable insights and truly fresh ideas.

You can build a safe space almost anywhere - just do all you can to prevent outside distractions, and make it clear to your people that they are safe, that mistakes made here remain here. Don't do this after a hard day's work - this is hard work in itself and should be rewarded as such. You can help release the creativity monkey by throwing in a big heap of toys. You might give them some items of clothing, coloured cloths, cardboard boxes, fat marker pens, and a bunch of crazy objects that have nothing to do with your work but which can represent a wide variety of real world items - or items that do not exist yet. Break the tension by getting them laughing - one good idea it to get them talking about their "worst ever..." experiences.

At some point in the early part of your session, you should expect some heavy venom. You have given your people freedom and - if they believe your offer - a lot of frustration will come out. (Often, this important catharis will eat up the first first half-day). Listen, welcome the honesty, and then offer the group the opportunity to work on solutions to their frustrations.

Now start working on your own customer experiences. But wait - it's effective to start outside your own company with best cases from elsewhere, then start applying those principles. Act out encounters. Switch roles. Try other ways to do the same thing. Try something crazy. Figure out what you are thinking at every step, and why you chose those words. Encourage your team to stay on their feet (even if you normally work sitting down) and always remember "don't tell me, show me". Interruptions are good, but sometimes you should specify a director to mould an interaction (as described here).

Your target is not to create a fixed script, but to generate as many ideas as possible, and perhaps narrow them down to a generous list of strategies and tips that every member of the team can draw on.

Here's the pitch - my team is incredibly good at this. So, if you need help, tips, or ideas, just call me. Talk is free. :)

Safe space pic by thornj at flickr.

Movement breaks the ice

Shake before serving...

I'm a big fan of David Polinchock's "crowd control" work over at the Brand Experience Lab. If you've missed it, they've got people in cinemas swaying in unison to play giant computer games on the sacred silver screen...



The most telling statement in this video is when David says that the viewers enjoyed the movie more after playing the game.

I've encountered a similar effect in my interactive theater work. In one successful show, the fun begins with the audience sitting down to a gala meal. One character is wandering around with a bellows camera, taking snaps.

Now, the various actors who play the photographer have different strategies. One will let the people stay seated and will amuse them with excellent witty patter while he sets up his camera and takes portraits. Another actor will get this bunch of strangers on their feet, stand them against the wall, switch them around, make them move into the light, out of the light, banish someone from the group, bring him back... You get the idea.

The difference is startling. While both audiences are equally amused, the shaken-and-stirred second group will move back to their table with the ice thoroughly broken (remember, these are strangers) and quickly get down to the teamwork of the murder mystery, laughing and joking all the time. The other group are just as happy with the show, but the barriers between them are still strong, and they will still be sitting slightly stiffly and making polite conversation during the second course.

Every actor who has done a warm-up knows that physical movement - especially in unison or in groups - is a strong method to break down social barriers and encourage communication. It also gets the blood flowing to the brain and encourages creativity.

If you are a trainer, teacher or presenter, remember to get your group out of their seats and moving as often as you can. If you are planning a party, remember that the simple act of asking people to stand can make the evening better. And if you are designing a customer experience, think how letting customers move and cooperate in groups could enhance their experience of your service.

Wacky-pack-attack

And why not?

Choosenick put me onto this wonderful little clip:



Of course, it's a gag - but comedy is always made of truth and pain. (The truth here is that we want to celebrate our cool new toy, the pain is that we can't.) So: why not?

Everything up to the point where the guy presses the red button is possible.

So why not take it that far? Then... holographic chorus girls are tricky just now, but there are a bunch of cheap and cheesy fun effects which could replace them.

What about the little melody chips you get in birthday cards? They could play an appropriately quirky tune, celebrating the purchase (no corporate jingles, please!).

How about the tiny voice recording chips I've seen? Why not hear a pre-recorded message from your guy at the store saying "Hi Adam, this is Gary. Thanks for buying this phone - if you have any problems setting it up, call me on my direct number...."

What about the clever techniques you see in modern pop-up books?

What about a little light show with supercheap LEDs? Or a smoke bomb and laser projection on your ceiling...

Erm, well, maybe the lasers are still sci-fi, but you get the point.

Whatever the gimmick is, two things would be important:

1) The manufacturer must realise it's just a gimmick, and keep it fun.
2) It must be replayable, so you can show all your friends...

How To Do The Impossible

Advice from a comic turned businessman
A Work•Play•Experience book review

In many ways, I wish I were Andy Nulman. I pride myself that we have some things in common – a resume that includes comedy, blogging and big business; a joy in the unexpected or irreverent; and an oft-irresistible desire to drop our trousers for laughs. He’s a well-known figure (hey, he’s got his own Trivial Pursuit question), famous for his insanely successful comedy festival and equally vibrant business venture, Airborne Mobile. He also writes the occasional book, and that’s what we’re here to talk about.

Andy’s 2007 book is called How to do the Impossible. It’s a pretty interchangeable title that you could find anywhere in the business or self-help section of your bookshop, but it's clear after the first page that this is not an interchangeable book. The wee volume has Andy’s stamp all over it, his personality (as I imagine it) coming through on every page.

Like any comic, Andy Nulman knows that a few good words are better than many less select ones; and as a network content expert he knows that bandwidth is expensive. This combined wisdom gives his book its first great advantage over the rest of the pack: in his own words: IT AIN'T FAT. Like Steve Job’s speechwriter, he isn’t afraid to use monster typefaces, or evocative pictures. The result is a slim volume of giant headlines (sometimes a sentence fills a page) and pithy pics – easy, light, fun reading that you can get through in a couple of hours. Good stuff.

It’s probably also Andy’s stand-up experience that lets him get away with minimal set-up for his philosophical punchlines. While eighty percent of most business books is hard sell – convincing you that you need to change – Andy assumes he already has your attention. He eschews further brainwashing and relies mostly on his infectious energy and Justin Adler’s page-turning design to suck you into the book. By the time you look up, you’re past halfway, your buttered toast is stone cold and leathery and you might as well plunge back in.

With an introduction and four chapters, HTDTI has five acts – just like a Shakespearean play. There's also a slightly Puckish epilogue. And like all of the Bard's plots, the actual themes are robust, precious, real - and not really terribly original. That is absolutely no problem – indeed, most words of truth have been spoken before. We still need to hear them, and be convinced to act.

And Andy’s talent lies in making you listen, wake up and see the path forward – and in convincing you that you are just the chap who can walk it. That's the truly tough bit - and Andy nails it.

He’s presented the content of this book in hundreds of seminars, and it’s impossible not to see him bouncing up and down on stage as you read (I have no idea is Mr Nulman is a bouncy person, but in my head he is). And it’s equally easy to imagine his audience leaving filled with his energy and inspiration. As a reader, you’ll feel it too.

In the knots and fiddles of everyday life, it’s easy to get tangled up in the details. Beside being a fun read, How To Do The Impossible is a great way to recharge your batteries and get back on track – in just a couple of hours. Andy’s four tips apply equally well to a business person, an actor, or someone trying to create an innovative customer experience.

(If that is not enough reason to buy it, it may have novelty value as the only business book to contain almost nude pictures of a senior media-industry executive. Perhaps that is why it sells second hand at Amazon for over a hundred dollars. But never mind, you can download it here.)

Andy's TV nakedness here
Book image from the publisher's site

Why laughter is good for innovation

You need to be joking II

Many thanks to regular reader Kat for passing on these excellent words from genius comedian Stephen Fry (Blackadder, Jeeves and Wooster, V for Vendetta etc), assisted at the close by Mr GK Chesterton:

"There is an argument that comedy is a greater public service than any other genre of art or culture: it heals divisions, it is a balm for hurt minds, it binds social wounds, exposes real truths about how life is really led. Comedy connects.... Seriousness is no more a guarantee of truth, insight, authenticity or probity than humour is a guarantee of superficiality and stupidity. Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly."

(read the complete transcript here)

I've argued before that every workplace needs at least one jester - someone who is allowed tell the bitter truth with a sweet smile. Not only is a climate of laughter good for your health and your staff's motivation, it can teach you valuable stuff.

Believe it or not, poking fun at your company's structures, habits and products is a terrific way to learn a whole lot about your set up - and make plans for the future.

The key is that humor is based on truth. If comedy builds on untruths, it might be absurd but is never truly funny. Back in 1926, H.W. Fowler put together this oft-quoted table to explain the different types of gags. If you don't have super-vision, just click the image to enlarge.







The venerable H.W. argues that humor, wit and satire promote discovery, illumination and amendment (we might say improvement), and that they are based on observation, surprise and accentuation.

Two important things to note:

Firstly, there's a strong contrast there with sarcasm, invective et al, which hurt more than they help. Avoid them, unless you are trying to topple dictators this weekend.

Secondly, are not discovery, illumination and amendment just the sort of things we need in our next innovation cycle?

As an exercise, why not let your team write some gags or a wee comic sketch about your work? Show them H.W.'s chart if you like, or just let them go crazy. (You could even get a professional to help out, e.g. this guy.) Do this not as part of your annual office party, but as part of an innovation or strategy workshop.

Sit back, hold tight, and hold your tongue. Be prepared to laugh a little, and to wince in pain, and to cry. And make notes whenever you want to do one of those things - because all three of those feelings are telling you the truth.

Minijester pic by Liquid Paper at flickr

Step 1. Steal Underpants

The Big 3 Strike Again!

It's a well known fact that there are three essential components to any hit. They are:

1. Sex
2. Humour
3. Death

The excellent KnickerPicker site combines the Big Three in a great online experience.

(The site may be NSFW if your work environment objects to underwear being sold in public. If it does, get a new job.)

At KnickerPicker, a trio of virtual ladies will model top brand underwear for you, helping you choose just the right set for your own self, or your better half. You can change the outfit, get the girl to turn round, even come closer. There is an online shop and delivery service, of course.

Go on, try it.

Here's why I like it:

1. Sex: the site uses sexy girls to sell sexy undies. Nothing new there, but it's nice that the girls come in three sizes from "ouch!" to "real woman". And the fact that you can influence the models' actions makes it a little sexier somehow. (Blush).

2. Humour: it's good clean (?) fun making the girls walk up and down and turn round, and their expressions seem beautifully ironic at times. The ladies find it fun too - Marie Claire made it their "favourite new website". Best of all, though, is the "Boy's Buying Guide" for men faced with the terrifying task of finding out her size...

3. Death: let your lady catch you spending too long with the wrong sized model, and you are in big trouble.

KnickerPicker: a great site, combining a fun experience with a genuinely useful service.

Vintage undies photo from antiques.about.com.
More about the importance of stealing underpants here.

Here's one...

First entry in work-life-experience ...

I asked readers to design my new apartment, so here we go...

Thanks for this go to Kat who - as well as being as smart as paint - is massively tech-savvy, knows a scary amount of kooky and non-kooky stuff, and has a sense of humour that can freeze-wither a sitcom writer in asbestos underwear at 500 yards.

Here's the video at YouTube.

Nice bit of Boom-wowowow-BOOM! in her work - and all kinds of hidden gags. If you were to see the original walk-through, you would see that the cardboard cut-out of me (wow!) has a white macBook like me (wow!) and on the screen of the laptop is ... this blog!

BOOM!

Kat wants to work in gaming, and if you guys don't snap her up in minutes you are quite possibly letting yourselves in for a due diligence suit.

You need to be joking

Clowns in big business

Medieval kings knew the value of a jester - someone who was allowed to say the truth, and was able to soften the blow by the skilled application of humour. They were a valuable pressure valve too - careful doses of humour can dissolve tension, and lead to honesty.

It turns out that comedians are fast-thinking types too, and can even have the occasional creative flash (at least, that's what folks tell me in the brainstorming sessions I do with executives).

Perhaps it's because we jokers are not afraid to think outside the box, because we have to be good at seeing others' points of view and are practiced at turning ideas over and over until we find an angle we can use.

Whatever the reason, the jokers in your midst can help keep everyone sane, as well as generate off-the-wall ideas. See jokester-meets-business-wiz Andy Nulman if you need any proof, or have a look at this Fast Company article on humour Professor John Morreal.

And ask yourself - who is the joker on your team?

Joker pic by kevin (iapetus) at flickr.

Choosing rooms for successful events

Pack 'em in tight

Apart from speeches (you know I hate speeches) and bright white light, there is one thing that really kills any event. It is:

a room that is too damn big.

I learned this lesson from bike industry guru Silvio Manicardi back in my distant youth. We were organising the publicity auction of the first road-legal NR750 ultrabike. The bash was due to take place in Milan, and I was told to book a function room.

"How many people are we expecting?" asked the boss.

"About a hundred, maybe a hundred and forty," I replied.

"So book a room big enough for seventy."

The effect was spectacular - people were struggling to get in, and standing on tables to see. Photographers were - literally - fighting to get a shot. The atmosphere was electric, and our little event felt like the hottest spot in town. The NR sold for a monster sum - securing a pile of money for Unicef and our bike's place in the Guinness Book of Records.

You can see the reverse of this effect at any half-full soccer game, or half-empty nightclub. It's an easy equation: under-filled venue equals zero atmosphere.

When you are planning an event, product launch or party and want people to have a good time, it's crucial to avoid a feeling of empty space. (This is the reason why are never going to have a hit event on your trade-fair stand, so don't even try.)

Choose a room that is slightly too small, and go for a low ceiling if you can. Warm acoustics are important - nobody wants to laugh or applaud into cold silence. Even a door onto an echoing foyer can kill the atmosphere if it is left open. Don't listen to the venue if they suggest putting in free-standing partitions to make a large room smaller. This will not take away the echoing space above, and will only make the event feel more like a flop.

And don't under-heat the space. You want people to be taking off jackets, loosening collars, and letting their hair down. It's easier to open a window than to turn up the heating...

In the worst case - and if the event is suitable - you might need to consider "papering the house", as they say in showbiz. This involves inviting free (or even paid) guests to make up the numbers. Even the Oscar-organisers have a regiment of students in tuxedos primed to fill up the seats during the boring technical awards, when half of Hollywood heads for the bar and the bathroom*.

So pack 'em in. And remember - no crush, no rush.

* Of course, not every event is as inviting as the Academy Awards, so it's hard to be sure your "wallpaper" will come. Broadway tradition says the best place to give away free tickets is at the dorms where nurses live. Students will accept your free ticket, then forget to show up. Nurses are more reliable - thank goodness.

Sardine pic by Saffanna at flickr.
Stadium shot by Amin Tabrizi at flickr.

Comedy smooths conflict

Classroom tips for all

So, I'm visiting the primary school at Mahaut, and listening in on a young teacher with her class. It's a scorching hot day and despite her lively presentation style the pupils are slouching at their desks.

Young Teacher has two options:
1. Yell at them to sit up straight (expected result: grudging compliance, and the kids think she is a slave driver).
2. Give them a cheery suggestion of the "hey kids, let's all stand up and shake out the tiredness" variety (expected result: the kids do it, but roll their eyes, and think she is a dweeb).

Of course, like the young Tony Blair she finds a Third Way.

She gives a huge yawn, and cries "OH! I am SO tired!" Surprised, the kids all look up. "Oh! I can hardly stand," she continues. "I have to sit down!" As she staggers theatrically to a stool, the kids start to smile. The smiles turn to laughter as - bump! - her head hits the desk. And when the snoring starts, pure hysteria reigns (hey, they are seven years old). Then - another yawn, and she starts to stretch, to stand, to straighten up. Of course, the kids are right there with her - stretching, wide awake, and thoroughly impressed by their new teacher.

Good NLP, good psychology, good comedy, good job.

Or, as the kids on Dominica say, "Faaaan-tastic!"



PS Young Teacher is the lady jumping highest in this video. Her colleague on the right had just had a flood-bourne boulder take out her classroom. More on the blond lady and her work at show-me-wow.com.

In the chair

A simple exercise to absolutely revolutionise your customer experience

You need:

- your team, or at least three of them.
- one chair (preferably of the folding canvas variety with DIRECTOR written on the back - but a normal office chair will do at a pinch)
- (optional: one megaphone, one beret, one monocle, one riding whip, one amusing central European accent)

This is what you do:

1. Sit one of your people in the chair. This is the Director (and you can give them the fun props and accent if you like - I know I would). Remember, the Director's word is Law.
2. Get two or more of the team to act out a typical customer service situation. One is the customer, one is the team member.
3. The person playing the customer should be as honest as they can.
4. The director can stop, start, modify, re-run and generally reshape the behaviour, manner, words, posture, actions, choices and facial expression of the team member (not the customer) at any time. They should do this as often as they want until they think the customer contact is just perfect.
5. Discuss
6. Switch jobs.


7. If you are really brave (and want some really telling results) use a real customer. No, don't ask them to play the customer, use them as the Director.

Chair pic by cathycracks at flickr

The Big Three

How to guarantee a hit!

They say there are three surefire components to making a hit concept. They are:

1) SEX!
2) DEATH!
3) HUMOUR!

Actually, I should qualify that a little.

Sex can be replaced by nudity, or bare legs (or, in Japanese animation, little brief shots of little white briefs). Death need not actually occur - the threat of it is enough. And you do not always need all three to make a hit. Baywatch was sex and death with very little humour; Benny Hill was sex and humour with very little death; and Die Hard (or any other action movie) is death and humour with usually just one sex scene.

But if you can squeeze all three in to your concept, you will probably find yourself laughing all the way to the bank. James Bond is one obvious example - though his narrative structure helps.

And here's another one...

The Heart Attack Grill is a brilliant example of using experience design to make a thoroughly commoditised product - burgers and fries - into a hit. The fatty food is advertised as dangerous but "worth dying for", with burgers getting names like "The Triple Bypass" and cigarettes being sold as the ultimate desert. The staff are dressed as naughty nurses and dorky doctors. Any of course the neighbours are furious.

Sex, death and humour, folks - in a burger joint. The place is a runaway success - and they are getting eighty e-mails per hour asking for the franchise.

Look, gasp, and learn. Just keep your hands where we can see them.

(Another great example of a service using the Big Three here.)

Naughty nurse image by RocketCityPoet at flickr

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Work•Play•Experience: get the book

My e-book is ready to download

Twelve show business tools for your business:

• Storyboarding
• Showing hidden values
• Prequels and sequels
• Depth and meaning
  
• Stagebuilding
• Backstage
• Light
• Costume
• Rehearsal
• Getting the lines right
• Letting stars be stars
• Timing

Download the 20 pages here. It's free.

All comments and feedback gratefully received...
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